Finger-guard for box-covering and similar machines



v C. R. SEYMOUR.

FINGER GUARD FOR BOX COVERING AND SIMILAR MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, me.

1 ,330,908. Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

APPLICATION FlLED JULY 14, l9l6- Patented Feb, 17,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WM mow UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. SEYMOUR, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO M. D. KNOWLTON COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FINGER-GUARD FOR BOX-COVERING- AND SIMILAR MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. SEY- MOUR, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1 n Finger-Guards for Box-Covering and S milar Machines, of which the following 1s a specification.

This invention relates to finger guardsfor use on box covering and similar mach nes and has for its object to provide an 1mproved finger guard which, when associated with the relatively movable work-performing elements, may be actuated by the latter with a minimum amount of friction and without in any way interfering with the free operation of the work-performing elements.

The improved finger guard may be used in combination with any type of machme 111- volving the use of a movable work-performing element in which there is danger of the operators fingers becoming injured thereby, but as the finger guard herein disclosed is designed especially for use with the cutting mechanism of a box covering machine, it has been illustrated in this relation in the drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portlon of a box covering machine showing the im- .proved finger guard associated with the cutting mechanism thereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the cutting mechanism and the finger guard; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of the cutting mechanism and the finger guard showing in full lines the position which the parts assume when the movable knife occupies or is near its raised position and showing in dotted lines the position which the parts assume when the movable knife is in its lowered position.

Similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings. The box covering machine shown in the drawings is of a well-lmown type and need not be herein described in detail. However, it will bedesirable for the present purposes to note the frame A which carries a holder B for the box-form carrier. The holder B is mounted for pivotal movements with respect to the frame A and also for longitudinal sliding movements, so that it maybe Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 14, 1916.

its pivotal connection 2'.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

Serial No. 109,282.

readily adjusted to bring the box-form carrier C which it carries into proper position relative to the cutting mechanism, depending upon the size of the box and the position thereof which will be found most convenient during the covering operation. The web of material with which the box is covered is shown atS. Before the web S reaches the box-form carrier 0, it passes through the cutting mechanism, denoted generally by the reference character D.

The box-form carrier C is rotated in the usual manner from the shaft a carried by the holder B and when it is desired to cut the web S, the upper movable frame 6 of the cutting mechanism is caused to descend to cut the web transversely. For this purpose, the movable frame 6 is provided with a knife 0 which cooperates with a knife at carried by a lower stationary frame 6. The upper movable frame I) is made to descend by depressing a treadle which is not shown in the drawings, but which may be opera tively connected with the link f. The link 7 is thus pulled downwardly to set in rotation a cam shaft carrying a cam which controls the movement of a rod 9. The cam and cam shaft just referred to do not show in the drawings, but at apoint during the rotation of said cam, the rod 9 is permitted to descend, thus swinging a rock arm it about The rock arm h is provided with a series of teeth j which mesh with a corresponding series of teeth is associated with a rock-shaft Z. The rock-shaft Z is operatively connected with the upper movable frame I) and it is, therefore, obvious that when the rod 9 is permitted to lower, the upper movable frame 6 will descend by gravity by reason of the mechanism just described which is interposed between the rod 9 and said movable frame 7). When the rod 9 is again lifted, the movable knife frame I) is raised and again assumes its normal position shown in the drawings.

The structure so far described constitutes the well-known parts of a box-covering machine, such for example, as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,037,154, granted August 27, 1912. The improved finger guard is associated with the cutting mechanism D and is so designed and associated with said cutting mechanism that it may be easily and freely operated by the movable knife frame 6.

In its preferred form, the finger guard comprises a member which is pivotally suspended to swing about an axis located above the lower knife, the member assuming a position substantially parallel, with t e lower knife. A connection between such member and the upper movable knife frame causes the latter to swing said member in a predetermined arcuate path which is just above the lower knife. This swinging member, which constitutes the finger guard proper, normally occupies a position slightly above and just to the rear of the lower knife. Then the upper movable knife frame descends, the finger guard is shifted from this position to a position in advance of the lower knife and in moving to this latter position, it removes the op-erators fingers, if they happen to be in the path of the descending upper knife.

The above-mentioned swinging member which constitutes the finger guard proper is shown at 1 (Fig. 2). It is supported at each extremity upon the lower i-nturned end portion 2 of a depending arm 3. The said arm 3 is pivotally connected, as shown at 4:, with the upper end of a bracket. 5 which is rigidly secured to the lower knife frame 6,. The brackets 5 are so constructed as to bring the pivot points 41 well above the lower knife Z) and the arms 3 are of such length that the bar 1 will swing in an arcuate path just above the lower knife.

To each of the swinging arms 3, there is pivoted one end of a link 6, the other-end of which is pivoted at 7 to the upper movable knife frame 5. The parts so far described are so constructed that as the upper knife frame descends, the links 6 will act upon the swinging arms 3, and thus swing the bar 1 outwardly over the knife (Z. The position which the parts will then assume is clearly shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. When the upper knife frame Z) returns to its normal raised position, the links 6 retract the swinging arms 3 and bring the bar 1 back to its normal position just above and to the rearof the lower knife (Z. The distance between. the bar 1 in its normal position and the lower knife should be such that the operator may reach between the knives and grasp the forward edge of the web of covering material to draw the same forwardly to the box-form. If the operators fingers still he in the path of the upper knife when it descends, the finger guard in sweeping over the lower knife will remove the operators fingers out of the path of the descending knife and, therefore, no injury will result.

In order to eliminate the possibility of the operators fingers becoming injured by the finger guard as it swings over the lower knife, the bar 1 is preferably mounted in a yielding manner upon the swinging arms .3. This is accomplished by providing said arms 3 with upstanding pins 8 which pass through corresponding openings in the extremities of the bar 1,-so that the latter is free to slide in a vertical direction upon these pins. Each pin 8 is encircled by a coil spring 9 which reacts at its upper end against a washer or other abutment 10 and at its lower end against the extremity of thebalr 1. These springs yieldingly hold the bar in its lowermost position, but if during the swinging movement of the latter, the operators fingers should accidentally become caught between the rear edge of the lower knife and the swinging bar, the latter will yield and move vertically to prevent injury to the operators fingers.

, It will now be noted that the bar 1 constituting the finger guard proper swings freely in an arcuate path above the lower knife and requires only ,a negligible amount of power from the movable knife frame to be actuated. All of the parts move freely with a minimum amount of friction, thus making it possible to use and operate the improved finger guard without in any way interfering with the efficient operation of the cutting mechanism. I

Although the finger guard has been shown and described in connection with the cutting mechanism of a box covering machine, it is obvious that it may be used in most any type of machine involving the use of the work-performing element where there is danger of the operators hand or fingers becoming injured by the same and where conditions are such that the finger guard and the various parts pertaining thereto may be associated with the work-performing element or elements in a somewhat similar manner to that shown in the accompanying drawings.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with an oscillatory part thereof carrying a work-performing element, and a stationary part, of a finger guard pivotally supported by said stationary part and ha ing a yielding finger engaging portion, and connections between said oscillatory part and the finger guard whereby the former actuate-s the latter.

2. In a machine of the kind described, the combinationfwith an oscillatory work-performing element and a stationary part of the machine, of a finger guard pivotally mounted on said stationary part so as to move in an arcuate path intersecting the path of the work-performing element and having a yielding finger engaging portion, and means operated by the movement of the work-performjing elementv to actuate said finger guar 3. a machine of the kind described, the combination with two relatively movable frames that are pivotally associated with each other and which carry work-performing elements, of a finger guard pivotally mounted on one of said frames to move in an arcuate path between the work-performing elements and having a yielding finger engaging portion, and connections between the other of said frames and the finger guard whereby the latter is actuated by the relative movement between said frames.

4. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a stationary lower frame carrying a work-performing element and an upper movable frame pivotally associated with the lower frame and also carrying a work-performing element, of a pair of brackets secured to said lower frame and extending upwardly, a pair of depending arms pivotally supported by said brackets, a finger guard carried by said arms so as to swing in an arcuate path over the work-performing element of the lower frame, and links directly connecting said arms and the movable frame whereby movements of the latter swing the finger guard in said arcuate path.

5. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a movable knife and a stationary knife, of a bracket extending up wardly from the stationary knife, dependin arms pivoted to the upper end of said bracket, a finger engagin element yieldingly carried by and exten ing between the lower ends of said arms and adapted to move over the stationary knife, and means connecting the movable knife with said pivoted arms whereby upon the movement of the knife the finger engaging portion will be oscillated over the stationary knife.

6. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a movable work-performing element and a cooperating stationary part of the machine, of a bracket extending upwardly from the stationary part, depending arms pivoted to the upper end of said bracket, a finger engaging element yieldingly carried by and extending between the lower ends of said arms and adapted to move over the stationary part, and means for connecting the movable element with said pivoted arms whereby upon the movement of the said movable element the finger engaging portion will be oscillated over the stationary part.

Signed at Rochester, in the county of Monroe, and State of New York, this 10th day of July, A. D. 1916.

CHAS. R. SEYMOUR. Witnesses:

THOS. D. PA'rroN, HERBERT W. SrEAREs. 

